Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The Customer Service Satisfaction

A healthy business knows how to effectively cater to their customers in the general interest of business financial stability that is constantly intertwined with above average customer satisfaction.
A good customer service satisfaction goal starts with the knowledge of the customers’ needs, how these needs are satisfied and how both the giving and receiving end benefit from this knowledge. Customer Satisfaction is a cycle that gradually changes over time. And as needs change, the demands increase and the current delivery of the service is reassessed, each cycle creates strategies on how to increasingly satisfy customers.
Sales are the most common indicator of satisfaction. A high sales average means good customer satisfaction. Accurately stating, the highest overall indicator of true customer satisfaction is retention and exclusive patronage. The key here is to have a good business-to-customer relationship based on rapport and all-out support.
Through face to face interviews, the level of customer satisfaction may be measured. This can be done when a customer walks out of the store or office or has just had firsthand experience of a product or service.
A customer-oriented business has a detailed and easy to grasp FAQ service. “Frequently Asked Questions” generate the most traffic in Customer Support. FAQ lessens the work of customer service representatives by providing answers to possible queries beforehand. However if there are queries that a customer cannot find an answer to, they may use the technical support service of the business.
For immediate support to customer concerns, calls may be made to inbound call centers or a schedule may be set for an outbound call to the customer. For customers who don’t require a timely solution to their concerns, an e-mail support service is also an option. Various methods are made available to address customer needs to ensure that they are attended to in the manner that is most convenient to them.
Escalation management can be considered the hardest task in a customer support system. These are high risk calls with more often than not – irate customers. In escalation management, there is an appropriate authority to receive all complaints and interactions. First, there must be a detailed review of the incident. The complaint is then subjected to existing policies for resolution. The goal is to handle the problem quickly, effectively and in the least stressful way possible. A confirmation that the issue has been resolved is always a standard practice. All interactions must be well recorded/documented to minimize liability, provide detailed information and to formulate efficient solutions for prevention of such incidents.
In all businesses, customer satisfaction is a priority. Their patronage provides the life-blood to all business ventures. All customer-related issues are treated seriously no matter the frequency of the complaint because nothing is more important than to keep customers happy. A good business & customer relationship results in higher customer patience, a solid business image and business permanence. Customers FIRST! Everything else follows; happy customers lead to higher gains, happy customers improve credibility and happy customers keep the business thriving.

In all businesses, there is a common belief that others even ask their employees to memorize. This is “customers are always right”. When this is forgotten in the process of fixing problems with customers, level of customer satisfaction is affected negatively.